


Lavender and leather boots

by join_me_in_the_bog



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Divorced Harry Potter & Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Family Fluff, HP Next Gen, Harry Potter Next Generation, Harry has PTSD, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Next Gen, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Pining Harry Potter, Time Skips, after the war, draco has PTSD, lets be real here they all traumatised as fuck, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25520032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/join_me_in_the_bog/pseuds/join_me_in_the_bog
Summary: The war may be over, but can we ever really recover from it?The main story line is set over 40 years, each chapter skips forward. Slightly angsty with eventual fluff.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Second of May 1999

**Author's Note:**

> My chapters are pretty short ngl but i'll try and update regularly, hope y'all enjoy!

They were both vastly under prepared for their first kiss. Neither felt fully forgiven and both were still carrying the open wounds of the previous year.

The muggle bar was hot and sticky, Harry's old leather boots clung to the viscous layer of spilt beer across the floor but Draco's forehead pressed against his was distraction enough to briefly escape the day, let alone forget the grim floor boards. Harry took in the man in front of him, his eyes were closed, he could feel Draco's hands clinging to his hair and the back of his neck, he wore a plain grey t-shirt, something Harry would never have imagined Draco owned, let alone wore.

They hadn't exactly planned on meeting here. It was a cheap dirty bar in London, far more packed than any boozer should be on a Sunday night. Both of them were drenched in sweat but clung to each other nonetheless. The mix of crashing music and cheap drinks were enough to drown out their minds. The crowd seemed to push and sway as one entity around them as Draco pulled Harry back towards the bar. The kiss had been soft and swift, but was enough to take Harry's breath away. He could suddenly feel everything around him, the cold stone wall cutting into his back, the feet pounding on the floor, and the soft lifts pressed against his, and Harry was alive. Then, just as suddenly, it was over, it was just Harry and the sharp boy in front of him. 

Draco's slender hands shifted from behind Harry's head to either side of his face. He tilted his head up and opened his eyes, foreheads still stuck fast. Harry was wide eyed and shocked but Draco seemed impressively calm. Harry looked into the blond mans eyes as he spoke.

"Scared Potter?"


	2. Nineteenth of August  2009

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 10 years after the night in the bar Harry reflects on his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Chapter two is here! hope you enjoy :)

Harry watched through the kitchen window as two, small, raven haired boys chased their Mother and eldest, blue haired, brother up the garden. He plastered a smile on, and carried the last plate of food out the back door to the cast iron table that sat on the patio. 

Lifting his tiny, fiery haired girl from the stroller. He sat, looking into her green eyes, as the rest of his perfect family sat at the remaining chairs, out of breath from their afternoon of fun. They scavenged from the meal laid out for them, and the boys chattered between themselves. The day had been calm and warm. Harry had spent most of it leisurely folding clothes and cleaning the kitchen. The sun was starting to set and the glow of the kitchen lights and citronella candles washed over them. 

He knew he should feel at peace, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He had four beautiful children, a wonderful wife, a home, a job he loved, but still something was missing. 

His baby girl smiled, toothless, up at him. He ran his fingers gently through her hair as his mind wandered. He loved Ginny’s warm brown eyes but he had always preferred winter to summer. Once again, the sharp boy with cold eyes drifted through his mind.

Ginny’s freckled hand on his arm snapped him out of his daze, “You got lost there for a second, love.”  
“Where did dad go? He’s right there!” jested one of his cheerful boys,  
Harry smiled, “Nowhere James... nowhere”

But grey eyes stared at him from the back of his mind.


	3. First of September 2019

It was years before the two men saw each other again, and many more before Harry could admit what had happened that night.

It had been 20 years since the night in the bar, and Harry was crying. His youngest child had just been sent to her first year of school at Hogwarts, and he had, once again, been forced to face the blond man with cold eyes at the train station. He was guilty, he knew really he hadn't done anything wrong, but his stomach sank and his heart ached for what had never been. 

And that is how Ginny found him, curled up on the window seat in their family homes living room, sobbing as he watched rain pour through the glass. Her gentle touches did nothing to comfort him now, as they only stood as a reminder for what he was about to lose. He had spent more than two decades with the powerful woman in front of him, and he was about to throw it all away. 

And for what? For a "what if"? For the slim possibility Draco thought about that bar as much as he did? He felt ridiculous, why couldn't he just love the beautiful redhead holding his hand? Instead he was stuck. Some nights he could still feel Draco's hands in his hair, but he didn't want to, he wanted to forget, but he couldn't. 

Everything after that night had started to feel fake. He needed to feel real again, to feel whole again, to be alive. The words Draco had spoken rattled around his head once again.

"Scared Potter?"  
And he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, only one more till its fully posted! I'm thinking or writing little one shots to fill in some of happenings between the chapters, let me know what you think!


	4. Fourteenth of May 2029

Harry let go of Draco’s hand and adjusted his raincoat. They were standing outside the burrow in the light spring rain, as they had many times over the last 8 years, but this time it was different. They each bore a silver band across their left ring finger, and a secret.

Draco had taken a lot of convincing to even get drinks to begin with, but eventually he caved. Harry had taken him back to the muggle bar where they shared that blissful night in 1999, and after 6 months of almost weekly dates Draco had finally let Harry drag him onto the dance floor. He had felt ridiculous, “A 40 year old man dancing?? I’m not a foolish teen anymore Potter!”, but couldn’t deny he’d had fun, but from then on Draco had insisted they went on “proper dates for oldies”.

After 2 years Draco had been accepted by the Weasleys, by the Potters, and by Andromeda, after 8 he was practically family, so why not make it official?

Harry knew Molly would be highly disappointed she hadn't received an invite to her favourite son's wedding, but they had wanted the ceremony to be just the two of them. He also knew his children would scold him for it, but he hoped they’d be able to understand. Besides, his babies were grown up now, as disconcerting as it was, Teddy, James and Albus towered over him, and Lily looked so like her mother when she was 20.

It had taken years but Harry finally felt alive again. 

He had four beautiful children, a kind husband, and a family of fiery haired Weasleys to support him. He turned to Draco, adjusted the sprig of lavender on his lapel and took a deep breath. He wiped the soles of his old leather boots on the doormat and grabbed his husband's hand.

Harry glanced at his husband and grinned, “Scared Potter?”  
“You wish”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of this fic! I'm really pleased with how it turned out and i hope anyone who took the time to read it enjoyed it too. Have a beautiful day y'all x


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